Big rises for subjects in 2015 Guardian Uni Guide

Photo: Creative industries students at Glyndŵ﻿r University are among the most satisfied in the UK according to the Guardian University Guide 2015

Students studying education, art and built environment courses at Glyndŵr University are among the most satisfied in the UK.

The three course areas ranked in the top five nationally for overall satisfaction in subject tables of the Guardian University Guide 2015.

Education was ranked joint top in the UK, with the university ranking 3rd for overall satisfaction in Building, Town and Country Planning, and 5th for Art. Glyndŵr University was also named as the best place in Wales to study Art and Nursing.

Strong performance in subject areas mirrored the university’s story in the overall table after it became the biggest climber in the UK, moving up 44 places to 64th in the UK and third in Wales.

Other successes in subject rankings included Media and Film Studies rising 49 places (84 to 35); History ranking at 38 in the UK and top in Wales on its first appearance in the Guide; and six subject areas ranking in the UK top 10 for student satisfaction with assessment and feedback (Social Work, Building, Town & Country Planning, Nursing, Education, Art and Sports Science).

Art (up 29), Social Work (up 28), Nursing (up 21), and Sports Science (up 20) joined Media and Film Studies as the biggest risers from the university in the UK subject tables.

Stuart Cunningham, academic head of creative industries, paid tribute to the hard work of staff within art, design and media.

He said: “We are dedicated to continually improving our offering to students and I’m delighted that this has been recognised by such significant rises in this year’s Guardian University Guide.

“Our art school has a strong reputation and track record of securing jobs within the industry for graduates. Likewise, the strength of our portfolio of media courses has been increasing year-on-year since the opening of the Centre for the Creative Industries three years ago.”

The 64th place ranking for Glyndŵr University in the 2015 Guardian University Guide is its highest since gaining university status in 2008.

The university’s sector-leading levels of student satisfaction with assessment and feedback – top in Wales and 14th in the UK – helped to ensure the rise, along with continued strong performance in graduate employment.

Improvements were made across the majority of categories which are used to rank each university in the table.

These include satisfaction with teaching, feedback and courses, based on data from the National Student Survey; student-staff ratios; spend per student; average entry tariff and employability of students six months after graduating.

Professor Michael Scott, Vice-Chancellor of Glyndŵr University, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled at this outstanding achievement. To achieve such a high ranking within six years of becoming a university is testament to the hard work of everyone connected with the institution.

“We are delighted to move into the top three universities in Wales overall only a few months after recording the highest student satisfaction in Wales in the Complete University Guide.

“Glyndŵr University is getting stronger and stronger and we look forward to building on this success in the next few years.”